Toward the Final Frontier: The Human Brain

An effort that promises far-reaching benefits, like the space program and genome project.

By

Paul G. Allen And

Francis S. Collins

April 8, 2013 7:20 p.m. ET

In science there are moments when prior discoveries, advances in technology, and visionary leadership align to create the opportunity for a great leap. It happened in 1961, when President Kennedy called for a new era of space exploration, which took Americans to the moon. It happened again in 1990, when the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health transformed the future of biomedical research by launching the Human Genome Project.

The timing is perfect now for a federally coordinated effort to unlock the...